Product Description

An Amish settlement in Ohio has run afoul of a law requiring their children to attend public school. Caleb Bender and his neighbors are arrested for neglect, with the state ordering the children be placed in an institution. Among them are Caleb's teenage daughter, Rachel, and the boy she has her eye on, Jake Weaver. Romance blooms between the two when Rachel helps Jake escape the children's home.

Searching for a place to relocate his family where no such laws apply, Caleb learns there's inexpensive land for sale in Mexico, a place called Paradise Valley. Despite rumors of instability in the wake of the Mexican revolution, the Amish community decides this is their answer. And since it was Caleb's idea, he and his family will be the pioneers. They will send for the others once he's established a foothold and assessed the situation.

Publisher's Description

An Amish settlement in Ohio has run afoul of a law requiring their children to attend public school. Caleb Bender and his neighbors are arrested for neglect, with the state ordering the children be placed in an institution. Among them are Caleb's teenage daughter, Rachel, and the boy she has her eye on, Jake Weaver. Romance blooms between the two when Rachel helps Jake escape the children's home.

Searching for a place to relocate his family where no such laws apply, Caleb learns there's inexpensive land for sale in Mexico, a place called Paradise Valley. Despite rumors of instability in the wake of the Mexican revolution, the Amish community decides this is their answer. And since it was Caleb's idea, he and his family will be the pioneers. They will send for the others once he's established a foothold and assessed the situation.

Caleb's daughters are thrown into turmoil. Rachel doesn't want to leave Jake. Her sister, Emma, who has been courting Levi Mullet, fears her dreams of marriage will be dashed. Miriam has never had a beau and is acutely aware there will be no prospects in Mexico.

Once there, they meet Domingo, a young man and guide who takes a liking to Miriam, something her father would never approve. While Paradise Valley is everything they'd hoped it would be, it isn't long before the bandits start giving them trouble, threatening to upset the fledgling Amish settlement, even putting their lives in danger. Thankfully no one has been harmed so far, anyway.

Author Bio

Dale Cramer, bestselling author of the critically acclaimed novel Levi's Will, was the second of four children born to a runaway Amishman and a sharecropper's daughter. True to his Amish ancestry, he skipped college and became an electrician, yet the thought was never far from his mind that someday he would like to write. Dale lives in McDonough, Georgia, with his family.

I truly enjoyed reading the book. Yes I learnt about the Amish and what was endured years ago but I most enjoyed the absence of a sexual charged environment portrayed in the book where love developed. A safe and healthy read for persons who love romance and happy endings.

I loved reading the book, and it was very interesting to learn about the Amish. I enjoyed the book. It is a bittersweet tale about family responsibilities, dreams and desires and finding your own identity and place in the world. I enjoyed reading the book.

Because of the interference of the Amish beliefs regarding schooling, the Bender family decides to move to Mexico and make a new start. Other families plan to follow once they are established but until then times are really tough for the Benders. They have nothing but vacant, dry land when they arrive. With so much work ahead of them, building a home, digging well, put up fencing, build a barn, etc., will they be able to succeed? Can they stay safe when there are so many bandits roaming the mountains?

The author does a nice job in creating his characters with realistic personalities. The story flows well and keeps the reader's attention throughout the book. He paints a clear picture of the land, danger and even the challenges that the characters face.

If you like Amish fiction with an in depth storyline you will enjoy this novel. I look forward to reading more of Cramer's work.

Its grt. lov de Amish lifestyle. Its very simple and without the complications the world gives. This book gives a clear view of what a father will do to protect his children from anything he believes is bad. That's a God given characteristic because God himself is like that. Great book but i wonder what happened with Miriam and Domingo.

Author/Artist Review

Tell us a little about yourself. I'm the author of five Christian novels (all published by Bethany House), winner of two Christy Awards and numerous honors. My father, who was a tremendous help in the writing of Paradise Valley, was born and raised Old Order Amish.

What was your motivation behind this project? I wanted to write a big story, with passion, romance, and high stakes, people struggling with tough circumstances. Levi's Will (my third novel) was loosely based on my father's life, and when I asked my father how he came to be born Amish in Mexico this is the story that emerged. Paradise Valley was the real name of the place, and my great grandfather was the elder statesman of the colony. He had seven daughters, so I used the structure of his family in order to tell the bulk of the story from a girl's point of view. Paradise Valley is book one in a series called The Daughters of Caleb Bender.

What do you hope folks will gain from this project? I hope people come away from Paradise Valley with a new sense of what the courage of our convictions can sometimes require of us.

How were you personally impacted by working on this project? I'd have to say I was humbled by the tireless dedication and fortitude of my forebears. They risked everything for their principles. That brand of uncompromising honor is rare these days.